Home
by gawilliams
Summary: Arcee shows Jack her home as she remembers it.  A companion piece to The Cost of War.
1. Chapter 1

_I was thinking of the story I wrote last week, _The Cost of War_, and thought it would be nice to do something a bit more pleasant on the subject of Cybertron. This is chapter one of the result. I will have the next chapter of _The Key_ posted in the next couple of days. I hope you enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Arcee, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Optimus were in the control room with Ratchet. The group had been somewhat somber for a few months since the images of Cybertron that Arcee had downloaded and shared had been viewed. It didn't keep them from enjoying their human friends, and doing their jobs, but it was difficult.

"So what's the bid announcement?" Bulkhead asked, looking at Ratchet.

Ratchet looked at his colleagues, and friends. "I don't think I have to guess at what our mood has been since we saw what was left of Cybertron," he said in preamble.

Arcee shivered, having been there with Jack so she knew firsthand. "I'm still trying to get beyond having been there and seeing it like that," she told them aloud, not mentioning the difficulties that Jack was also having occasionally, despite their very helpful conversation that one night a few months before.

"We all are trying to accept what has become of Cybertron," Optimus said solemnly.

"I think we are all agreed that Cybertron is lost to us," Ratchet continued, noting the nods of agreement among everyone. "Because of that, I have been working on a project. Nurse Darby mentioned something called a scrapbook, a book of memories so to speak. I decided to use our technology to produce a holographic scrapbook of sorts. The result is a holographic program that allows us to immerse ourselves on Cybertron at any time within the last ten thousand years. Just program in the dating, and the holographic imaging room becomes Cybertron of that input time. No war, no destruction. Just Cybertron. You are able to move about and go anywhere on the planet, as well as request interactive persons."

"I remember holorooms like that before I became a Prime," Optimus mused. "They were quite effective. Excellent work, Ratchet."

"Who gets to try this first?" Bulkhead asked, eager to try it. He could imagine Miko wanting to join him and he was more than happy to bring her along.

"I think that since Arcee was actually on Cybertron and saw it firsthand, she should have the first opportunity to utilize the holoroom," Optimus decreed.

"I want Jack to come with me," Arcee told them. "He was there, too, and I think he would appreciate it."

"An excellent idea, Arcee," Optimus told her. He also decided that he would speak with Jack soon. In the aftermath of everything there really hadn't been the time, and no one had been much for talking about such a somber topic.

"I'll be back soon," Arcee said and then transformed, rolling out through the exit corridor.

Twenty minutes later she had arrived at Jack's home and rolled to a stop in the garage, her holographic Sadie disappearing once the garage door closed. She transformed and before she had a chance to contact Jack via his cell phone, June Darby came into the garage, holding a garbage bag.

"Hi, Arcee," June said with a smile. Jack had let her in on some of what had been bothering him and the Autobots, and as she genuinely liked Arcee, she tried to be as polite as she could be. "How are you today?"

"Actually, something at the Base has made me feel much better, but I was hoping to share it with Jack," Arcee replied. "Do you mind if I take him with me for the rest of the day?"

"Actually getting out and doing something will be just what he needs," June smiled. She knew the bond between her son and this alien robot was deep, and keeping them from each other was not a good idea. Her sanity could only take so much of a moping teenage boy around the house. "Anything interesting?"

"I'd like to show Jack, first, but I will tell you about it afterwards," Arcee compromised, knowing that June was naturally curious.

"Fair enough," June laughed in amusement. Arcee was like a teenager, too, sometimes. She leaned her head in the door to the house. "Jack? Arcee is here!" she called out to her son. She turned back to Arcee. "Just call if he ends up staying at the base tonight," she told her.

"Will do," Arcee agreed. "Thanks, June."

"Hey, Arcee," Jack said, a wide smile on his face. He was always happy to see his best friend. "What's up?"

"I've got something to show you at the Base," Arcee told him.

"Have fun, Jack," June said, as she went back into the house.

"Thanks, Mom," Jack said as he got his helmet and climbed on when Arcee transformed. "So what's going on at the Base"

"It's a surprise," Arcee told him and then took off, speeding a little bit, but knowing the local cops wouldn't mind, and Jack would love it.

_A/N: There's the setup. There will be four chapters in all. I wanted to get this one out there while I am working on a few different items. _The Cost of War_ was a story I feel really good about, but wanted to also do a companion piece in order to get the mood for them a bit more upbeat. I hope this story accomplishes that. Gregg._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for the reviews and responses to the first chapter of this one. As I said it will have three more chapters, including this one. I hope you enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Arcee and Jack arrived at the base and pulled to a stop in the main control room. Arcee transformed and looked down at Jack.

"Remember when we were talking about what Cybertron was like when I first came online?" she asked.

"Sure," Jack grinned. Her descriptions had sounded great.

"Ratchet has made a holographic room where we can actually be on Cybertron as it was," she told him. "I thought you might like to try it out with me."

"Yeah!" Jack said excitedly. Maybe it would even get his mind to let go of the images that were constantly there of a dead hulk of what had been.

"The room is specially designed to take into account what would be happening if you were actually in vehicle mode, so the images will be moving with you. What will appear like movement on your part will actually be the hologram extrapolating and you are moving in place. The flooring is specially designed to make it feel normal," Ratchet told them as he came up to the pair.

"That's incredible," Jack marveled at the description.

"It is indeed," Optimus Prime said as he came into the control room. "I am pleased that you will be able to see our planet when it was as it was meant to be. I am only sorry you had to see it as it is now, a remnant of an ongoing war."

"Ready?" Arcee asked him.

"Definitely," Jack said and then followed her down the corridor.

They took a lift down a few levels and emerged in a large, cavernous room. A control stand was to the side which Arcee moved to. She called up several displays and input some commands. A few images popped up on the holographic screen. She looked down at Jack.

"Kaon was captured by the Decepticons three thousand stellar cycles ago," she told him. "How would you like to see it when it was an independent city?"

Jack nodded in agreement. The images he had been having the most difficulties with were of Kaon and the grey, dismal atmosphere that pervaded the ancient city, especially with that massive statue of Megatron acting as a sentinel above the entry gates.

Arcee smiled and pressed the correct icons. The large room seemingly melted and morphed into a new image, this time of Cybertron. This Cybertron, though, was full of color and seemed alive somehow. The two moons were brilliant in the sky. In the distance there was a blue lake of pure energon.

"This is about 500 kliks from Kaon," Arcee explained. "This'll give us a chance to see the sights along the way."

"When was this?" Jack asked as Arcee transformed and he climbed on.

"About 1,000 stellar cycles before Kaon fell," Arcee told him. "The war was still on the other side of the planet at that point."

Arcee began the journey to Kaon, her memories guiding her perfectly. It really was like coming home, but this time to a home she wanted to remember, and also one she would enjoy showing Jack. For the next hour she spent a lot of time pointing out certain landmarks and cities, but also how the roadways and bridging worked to integrate the planet at all levels. When a certain lookout point approached Arcee pulled into it and let Jack get off of her, then she transformed. She walked to the edge and the pointed.

"That's Crystal City, the most beautiful city on Cybertron before it was destroyed by Starscream and his fighter wing," she told him. "All of the best artisans and their work was there."

Jack looked in the distance and gasped as he took on a city literally made of crystal. The light refractions and patterns were breathtaking, encompassing the entire visual spectrum, at least the spectrum visible to human sight.

"We should go there someday," Jack mused.

Arcee looked down at him. "Are you asking me out on a date?" she asked, giving him a smirk, letting him know she was giving him a hard time, despite their growing feelings for one another.

Jack decided to be a bit direct about his feelings. "And if I am?" he asked.

Arcee didn't lose a beat. "Just name the time and I'll be there, Smooth Operator," she told him.

Jack looked a bit shocked. "Seriously?" he asked, not quite sure he had heard her correctly. Had she just agreed to a _**date**_?

Arcee thought for a moment. It would be awkward, to say the least, but she was sure that there was something between them. Jack had certainly proven himself to her many times over, and never more so than on Cybertron, and the feelings she had were real.

"Seriously," she replied, and then transformed. "Ready to continue on to Kaon?"

"Yeah," Jack said, climbing on, still trying to fathom that he had an actual date with Arcee. He decided not to tell his Mom about this development for the time being. She was having a hard enough time accepting the fact that he'd been to another planet and was involved in a millenia old war that started on that other planet.

For about another hour they rode in relative silence, each thinking about the change in their relationship that was developing. Both were happy about it, but each were also aware of the gravity of it. The differences between their two species was something that was so apparent as to need no explanation, and then there was the fact that others may not be too accepting of it.

Arcee decided to show him something important to her. She gave a command sub-vocal in Cybertronian and the bridge seemed to come alive and branch off seamlessly before them. She took the branch off and sped down the lane towards a large building that seemed to stand out before them. Twenty minutes later they came to a stop in front of the large building. Images of fighting figures were all around, and the elegant, angular Cybertronian script labeled each image. She transformed when Jack got off.

"This is the place where I was taught martial arts," she told him, keeping her voice in somewhat of a reverent tone. This place was almost sacred for her, as with all who trained here.

"Prowl was your Sensei, right?" Jack asked, trying to remember the stories she'd told him.

"The greatest martial artist in Cybertronian history," Arcee told him. "Come on," she directed as she walked towards the large door. She punched in a code and the door slid silently open. They entered and the door closed behind them.

_A/N: I halted there so I could keep dividing the story into chapters with each one developing a single item. This one I wanted to have the tone and atmosphere set right for the trip in the holoroom. I hope you enjoyed it. Gregg._


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the delay in getting this one out. I have been rather busy with real life for a time, so I hope that you enjoy this small offering to keep this story going. One note pertaining to a review on this story in the last chapter by way of explanation. I had Crystal City destroyed by Starscream and his fighter wing, while in the novel _Exodus_, I believe, it was the Constructicons that destroyed the city. I was unaware of the novel when I wrote the chapter, and have since read it. Thank you to medafan 53 for pointing that out, and while I will be keeping the original chapter as is, I will use the novel in looking at other cities when the need arises. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Jack walked right beside Arcee as they entered the building where she had trained and been taught the Cybertronian martial arts. It was a massive edifice, full of color and angular wall and ceiling metal works. It was a stealth fanatics dream come true, and yet he was certain that each cubby or corner held specific purposes and all were practical, in an elegant sort of way. What was amazing to him was the statuary.

"Who were they?" he asked.

Arcee looked around, the memories flooding into her conscious mind. "The Great Masters," she replied. "The greatest martial artists in Cybertronian history. Each one had a unique style and form."

Jack looked all around again and further admired the place. It was massive, of course, but also somehow beautiful. "How did you end up training in the martial arts?" he asked.

Arcee looked down at her partner. She always loved his questions, especially when they were about her past, despite the fact that he usually asked them at awkward times.

"My size more than anything," she admitted. "When you are small compared to others in a war there are advantages and disadvantages. My units were usually fighting some of the fiercest combat units of the Decepticons and I was one of the smallest Autobots. Look at me compared to someone like Megatron, or Soundwave, or Dreadwing. Without some sort of edge, the fight is very one sided and likely deadly. Martial arts allows the battlefield to be much more level. Prowl was assisting my unit during a mission once and suggested that I train in the martial arts. I received permission and became very adept at it. It's saved my life many times."

"How long did you train?" Jack asked curiously.

"About a century of your time," Arcee replied. "Not too long in our lifespans. I miss it sometimes, to be honest."

"A century of training?" Jack marveled. And he had thought a few years for some moderate skills development was a long time. "Can I ask you something about the war?"

Arcee took a seat and then reached down and placed Jack on the bench beside her. "Sure," she replied. While there were some things about the war she did not want to remember, she had long since ended any secrecy between her and Jack.

"When we were on Cybertron you said that when the fog lifted there wasn't much left to save," Jack reminded her. "How did it get to that point? It seems so..." he trailed off.

"Crazy?" she said softly.

"Yeah," Jack said, not wanting to offend her.

"You'd have to ask Optimus that one for an answer that makes any sense," she replied finally, recalling the days, months, and years when it became all to real that Cybertron was truly going dark. "For myself, it was because the alternative was losing to the 'Cons, and Megatron would have torn the planet apart anyway in his crazed lust for power."

"I can't imagine having to abandon my planet," Jack shuddered.

"Even with all the destruction and dwindling levels of energon, it was hard to leave, and even harder for Optimus to give the order," Arcee told him. "I really am sorry you had to see my home like that, Jack."

"I'm not," Jack told her. "It made what is happening on Earth more real somehow, and makes me want to help keep what happened on Cybertron from happening here."

"You're my partner, Jack, and that won't change," Arcee told him. "But I had always hoped that you would never have to see the real horrors of this war. A dead, energon depleted hulk in space. Sentinels in stasis protecting a lifeless planet. And a partner who is burdened by hate and anger from centuries of war. You may be an adult in mind and spirit, Jack, but you're still a teenager and shouldn't have those kinds of burdens."

"But I did see Cybertron, Arcee, and I saw what had happened," Jack replied. "I won't say it wasn't horrifying, but at the same time this war isn't just about Cybertron. Call me naïve, or just too young and idealistic, but it really is one of those few battles worth fighting since it's without a doubt good versus evil. And trust me, Arcee, if I looked at you as someone filled with hate and anger we wouldn't be friends. I like to look at the inner person."

Arcee checked her internal chronometer and was surprised to find that they'd been in the holoroom for over three hours. She didn't want to monopolize the room at the expense of the others.

"It's time to let the others spend some time in here," she suggested as she stood up and placed him on the ground.

"We can come back, though, right?" Jack asked.

Arcee smiled at her partner. "It's a date," she told him, letting herself observe his reaction to that loaded statement.

Jack was stunned at the phrase, and looking up at her he saw she was feeling him out about the possibility. He decided to take the plunge. "Cool," he told her. "Just name the time and I'll be there."

Arcee began walking to the door of the building. "Next Saturday 5AM," she told him. "And be ready for a long day on Cybertron."

Jack grinned. 5 AM sucked, but a whole day with Arcee and in this kind of place? Definitely worth it.

Fifteen minutes later they were in the main control room of the base where the others were waiting for them.

"Well?" Ratchet practically demanded. He'd spent a lot of time on the project and wanted a first hand report on how well it worked.

"It was like being back there," Arcee told him, her optics glowing with the delight of having seen her home as it used to be. "We took a long route towards Kaon, but ended up spending most of the time at Master Prowl's dojo."

"I am pleased that you have been able to see our planet as it once was, Jack," Optimus said calmly. "In the future I hope that you take the time to explore even further. Perhaps even visit Iacon."

"Seeing Cybertron like this showed me why you fought the Decepticons, Optimus," Jack told the leader of the Autobots. "It also makes the war here on Earth all the more understandable."

"Then you have learned something quite valuable," Optimus told him, pleased that this human above all others understood. He turned to Ratchet. "I believe that it would be appropriate that you be allowed to spend time in the holoroom next, Old Friend. After all, you did resurrect this long ago technology."

They all watched as Ratchet made his way deeper into the base, heading to the holoroom. Bumblebee and Bulkhead transformed and left to go on patrol. Arcee looked down at Jack.

"How about a ride, Partner?" she asked as she transformed. Once Jack was seated on her she sped off. It had been a very nostalgic time in the holoroom and she was glad that she had been able to share it with Jack. Now she had to work through her thoughts and feelings about the idea that in a week they had a _**date**_ to do it again. It was going to be a long week.

_A/N: Next will be them actually getting to see Kaon as it was before Megatron took in and made it the Decepticon capitol. They will also begin discussing their feelings about each other and how their experiences of the last few months had been bringing them closer. I hope you enjoyed this one. Gregg._


End file.
